On March 7, 2013, Senate Bill 236 was filed in the North Carolina Senate concerning funding for school construction.
The bill is an “act authorizing counties to assume responsibility for construction, improvement, ownership and acquisition of public school property.”
Republican Senator Neal Hunt of Raleigh is one of the bills primary sponsors, along with Republican Senators Tom Apodaca of District 48 and Peter Brunstetter of District 31.
“The school districts should be focused on education and not acquisition of real estate,” Hunt said.
Although all sponsors of the bill are Republican, all other parties in support or opposition are non-partisan.
The legislation was created out of concern there was too much focus on school construction.
Supporters of the bill believe that schools boards should focus on the education of students.
Charles Coe, professor in public administration at N.C. State, believes the proposed action is “indeed uncommon [and] possibly unprecedented.”
Those in support include the Wake County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.
Todd McGee, Public Relations Director of NCACC, explained this bill would lead to major shifts in responsibility because the school boards have always had this power.
“The NCACC has a goals process and individual counties submit what would benefit them, and this proposal was from Wake County and NCACC members accepted,” McGee said.
According to McGee, this bill gives counties an option to consider whether they are owners of the school property, not just those who will pay for it.
“This is strictly over the ownership of property. One of the driving factors behind the bill is that the school boards would be able to worry more about education and not business,” McGee said.
Joe Bryan, Republican chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, told The News and Observer his support to the bill comes from the idea that, “it is just better government structure to link the asset with the liability.”
Groups in opposition include N.C. School Boards Association and the Wake County School Board.
The legislation is likely to pass due to the Republican majority in the General Assembly.
On March 11, 2013, SB 236 passed its first reading and was then referred to the Committee on Education and Higher Education. If favorable, the bill will be referred to the Committee on Finance once again.
